Florida, Airline Miles and Postering

The last few days have been amazing. To see how many people are interested in helping, concerned and willing to support this specific cause is shocking to me. I am excited to post the donation totals on Sunday. Again, if you donate and want me to list a specific name, business or cause please let me know.

I spoke with the Barack headquarters in Chicago and was told that because I am in California we should go to Nevada. I think they suggested this soley on the geographic proximity. However I met with a make-up artist friend Mikaela South yesterday and we researched different statistics and deadlines for registration. These websites are Pollster.com and Rock the Vote. We have decided that our best efforts really are going to be going out to Florida where they have 27 electoral votes and then Nevada since they have a later registration deadline.

PLEASE donate airline miles if you have them! I don't know how to do this, but it would be AWESOME if it worked out. A few other friends have agreed to meet us out there and help. Operation "Flirt to Vote" has been our current joke because all of the current travelers are attractive, super sociable, 20 something year olds. Artist Winston Lehman is almost finished with the graphics for the posters/stickers and temporary tattoos. We have also begun developing a database of venues to go to in these different states.

Yesterday I made this poster and put it up at local coffee shops in Marin, Berkeley and San Francisco. I have been requested to email the attachment of the poster to some friends around the US so that they can post it in their towns. If you want a copy of the poster for print email me at FrankieNorstad@gmail.com

41 Days Left!

If you are just getting here to SwingKidVote, please read the first entry at the bottom of this page to get an idea of what we are doing. I received an overwhelming response to my email and post yesterday. Thank you to everyone who donated and passed on the email and please continue to do so. This Sunday will be post a list of all people/businesses who have made contributions. You can donate by clicking on the following link. My email is SwingKidVote@gmail.com

I have a date for the first trip which is to Nevada October 4th and 5th. A dear friend TA has opened up her house and offered to lend me a car and feed me while I am there. I am blessed to be a freelance photographer and be able to leave town, however I am looking for other young people to run around with me to these Swing States.

Two wonderful artists are working on art pieces to be turned into temporary tattoos and fliers- Theo Mindell owner of Spider Murphy's Tattoo (http://spidermurphystattoo.com) in San Rafael CA and Winston Gregory Lehman a talented painter who resides in Louisville Kentucky.

If you are interested in contributing art, please include the date "NOVEMBER 4th 2008" on the art and keep it relatively simple as the temporary tattoos will be shrunk to about 2"x2".



Also in the news, a friend Nico Lopez (http://TwelveTwentyEight.com) is working on a press release for Swing Kid Vote, which is amazing because I have little experience with press releases and how to get the word out there (besides mass emails and text messages).

Which reminds me TEXT this website out to your friends and PASS IT ON! I would love to meet up with other young people while I am in these states.

A formal schedule will happen soon.

xoxox

Francesca

415.225.0747
http://FrankieNorstad.com

BARACK THE VOTE!

I represent the youth that doesn't watch the news or read the paper because it stresses me out so much. I represent the 20 something group that would rather do art, make music or make out than look at what is actually happening with our country right now. Not because I don't love this country... I love America. I love what this country stands for, but since I turned 18, our only president has been Bush... which has been severely depressing.

I am terrified about the current political state of affairs. Petrified actually. I am sitting at a photo studio in Richmond California and I am hearing people I love and respect talk about how they are voting for Sarah Palin and John McCain. I feel like I am working on an ulcer.

The youth vote makes up just under a third of the votes... if we all voted. What I want to do is travel to swing states and begin campaigning to other youth like me- tattooed artist kids that are not in college and who avoid politics to preserve mental sanity. These are the people who are not getting political input at their jobs or at school. These are people that, contrary to popular belief, do care. I feel blessed because as I am a very well connected person. I know people all over the world and all over the United States. I feel like this is a golden opportunity to use my skills as a people person to better society. I know this is a long shot, but I truly feel it is my job as a young person- a young American, to at least try to make a different in this election.



I will be crunching numbers this week, pricing rental cars in these various states as well as plane tickets and estimated cost of gas. We will be traveling to tattoo shops, malls, music stores, concerts and downtown suburban areas where kids like us hang out. I have asked a couple artist friends to make traditional style Obama art that I want to make into temporary tattoos to give away around the country. The tattoos are $70 for 500.

Expected swing states this year are Florida, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, Missouri, Michigan, Ohio, Virginia and New Hampshire. Other close states are Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, and North Carolina.

If you are interested in donating, you can do so here:

All financial records will be updated weekly and kept completely public and blog updates will happen throughout this whole process.

Please contact me if you have any interest in supporting, helping brainstorm ideas, want to travel, or contribute art.


Francesca

Frankie Norstad
415.225.0747
http://FrankieNorstad.com